White House Says It Will Block Bid to Raise U.S. Fuel Taxes

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>The Bush administration said it would oppose raising taxes on diesel fuel and gasoline to help pay for increased spending on highways and bridges in the 2003 budget.

The decision came from the president's Office of Management and Budget, which issued a formal "statement of administration policy" Jan. 17, while Congress continued to consider an omnibus spending bill to fund most government operations.

As part of that debate, some lawmakers have proposed increasing current levels of federal fuel taxes.

However, OMB said it "strongly opposes" that approach, and warned Congress about the cost of its $31.8-billion highway plans.

For the full story, see the Jan. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.